Bullet Train Explosion director Shinji Higuchi on examining evil in the Netflix movie
Shinji Higuchi talks about exploring wrongdoing and judgment in film starring Tsuyoshi Kusanagi and why bullet trains are a symbol of Japan
The high-speed bullet train says Japan as much as Godzilla, sushi and Mount Fuji. And it takes centre stage in Shinji Higuchi’s new film Bullet Train Explosion, which premiered on Netflix this week.
Higuchi recalls being fascinated by the aerodynamically shaped bullet trains growing up as they roared by, almost like a violent animal. To him, as to many Japanese, the Shinkansen – as the trains are called in Japan – symbolise the nation’s efforts to become “top-rate”, superfast, precise, orderly and on time.
“It’s so characteristically Japanese,” Higuchi says. “To complete your work, even if it means sacrificing your personal life, is like a samurai spirit living within all Japanese.”